Dragon Age: Spectre of a Dead Empire
by Ghost43843
Summary: Inquisitor Raven Lavellan has survived the impossible, and saved Thedas at great personal cost. The Inquisition is soon to become Divine Victoria's personal guard. The rise and fall of the Inquisition is tied to the rise and fall of Elvhenan itself. The machinations of Fen'Harel have to be stopped. Will another survivor from their ancient past save them from the Dread Wolf's plan?
1. Prologue

_Author's Notes: Greetings to all! I hope that everyone is having a fantastic year so far! Time to shake off the cobwebs from winter, and plow into a new story. I love the Dragon Age universe, as it has a rich tapestry of lore and fascinating places and people! There is my interpretation of one of the 'elven gods' that are referred to during the DA games._

 _Disclaimer: Dragon Age is of course the property of Bioware and EA. I can't claim anything other than trying to bring a new idea to the forefront. If Bioware/EA likes, it, would love to see it incorporated into the next DA._

Dragon Age: Spectre of a Dead Empire.

By: Ghost43843

Prologue. Final days of Arlathan, capital city of the Elvhenan.

Many Centuries before.

Falon'Din Lavellan gritted his teeth as the ground beneath his feet heaved upward yet again. The war that raged just outside the door of his sanctuary within Arlathan had his senses on edge. He clutched his battle staff so tightly that he heard the combination of spun silver metal and live wood creak under the stress. The hilt of his spirit blade still lay attached to his belt, and he wasn't about to let it out of his sight. Whatever small rebellion that Fen'Harel had conjured up months before had escalated rapidly into a full scale war among his people. The non-magic elves that made up most of their slave population had been freed by the usurper, and they immediately answered for his call to arms. That wasn't the worst of it though, at least, not until the sudden plentiful appearance of the quicklings from the Imperium…

Falon'Din's eyes flashed as he grabbed his spirit blade as the door to his sanctuary violently burst inward. He felt some relief as it was only Talen'ware, his apprentice, and his wife Norel'Ayn. When they saw him, they flashed a momentary smile of relief. It was quickly again replaced by determination and even a bit of anger. "My Lord!" Talen'ware started. "We must escape! The war rages ever so much closer! Losses have been staggering!"

Falon'Din shook his head. "No! This is our home! What of the numbers that make up the Falonshor? Are they not fighting with all their strength to defend their empire?"

Talen'ware moved back toward the door and shut it as tightly as he could. The apprentice placed the restraining bolt through the door frame. It wouldn't hold for long though if magic were used. Norel'Ayn shook her braided headed at her husband's question, and he noticed grimly that her own battle staff showed signs of recent damage. "Most of the Falonshor fled when faced with the superior numbers of Fen'Harel's forces. The rest were quickly cut down as they stood. There isn't many of your loyal forces left to fight, my love."

Falon'Din's eyes widened slightly. "What has become of Mythal? She has always been allied with me! Has she abandoned us in this madness?"

Norel'Ayn's eyes glistened. "It is rumored that she was murdered, my love. Some have said it was Fen'Harel himself who did it."

Falon'Din shook his head. "No, that isn't possible! He was many things, but a murder? No, I will not believe it unless someone shows me her body! I still don't know what is going through Fen'Harel's mind, but I can promise you he wouldn't have killed her. She protected and cared for everyone, even him."

The Arcane Warrior shrugged. "No matter if he killed her or not, my love, he has banished the rest of the council members."

Falon'Din chuckled mirthlessly. "Banished them? Just where did he banish them to? He wouldn't have had enough power to banish Elgar'Nan! He would have crushed Fen'Harel like he was a gnat."

Norel'Ayn shivered. "Fen'Harel did something, my love. There is something wrong within the Fade. I can't feel the connection with any of the librarians within the Fade!"

Falon'Din shook his head. The great warrior closed his eyes as he stretched his superior senses out toward his own connection with the Fade. Immediately, he recoiled as if struck. He knew something felt very wrong, indeed. He no longer felt his connection to the Fade at all! His eyes popped open as he stared toward the ceiling. "I can't feel anything from our people within the Fade!" His eyes drifted down toward his wife's. "What horrors has Fen'Harel unleashed?" He asked in a haunted whisper.

Norel'Ayn chewed her lip and shook her head. "It is unknown what he did or didn't do. He and his those loyal to him were headed this way. Right behind them are those quickling mages from that horrible Imperium! We have to get you out of here, now!"

Falon'Din spun around and faced the Eluvian that stood sentinel at the back of his sanctuary. He clasped the hilt of his spirit blade, and closed his eyes. He let his desires stretch toward his doorway to what lay beyond, and the Eluvian lit up into a bright light. His eyebrows creased with his efforts. Something was wrong with the other Eluvians, as he wasn't finding an open destination to anywhere else within the inner empire. He couldn't touch the one that was with the Durgenlan in their thaig of Cad'halash! It was as though they had somehow been compromised! His eyes opened as he finally found one that was still open. His brows furrowed. It was one that stood almost at the edge of the empire, surely there were other ones…

Something solid landed against the door that led into his formally tranquil sanctuary. Whatever it was slammed into the door again with even greater force behind it, the violence much worse than before. The restraining bolt was creaking, and the door showed multiple instances of large cracks along the frame. Norel'Ayn and Talen'ware combined their staves and cast a powerful barrier spell, one that protected them and anything behind them. Whatever it was that was coming for them, it was definitely powerful…

The compromised door finally exploded into shrapnel, and the wreckage flew inward toward the hastily erected barrier spell. Falon'Din took a step forward and stopped. He felt prickles of anger and betrayal as the usurper, Fen'Harel haughtily crossed the threshold into his sanctuary. Behind him were numerous elven warriors whom were loyal to him. There were even a few quickling warriors among their ranks, their strange style of dress and armor foreign to the native elven ones. Falon'Din's lip curled in contempt at his fellow elf. "Fen'Harel, what the hell have you done here?"

His fellow mage stood tall and proud. "I did what I must! You and all of the rest of the council abused your privileges when you declared yourselves gods among our people!"

Falon'Din snorted loudly. "You fool! Do you realize what this will do? Our Empire will crumble before the Imperium! I have it on good authority that those mages are right behind you, and on their way here! We won't have the power to stand a chance against them!"

"All good things must come to an end, my brother. The council is long past corrupted! The former purity within the very bones of our Empire is long decayed and crumbling. It must be torn apart and rebuilt again!"

Falon'Din growled lightly. "Because of you, our people will be destroyed! Cast out to the very ends of Thedas! For what? To salve your ego of the 'evils' of our Empire? You have betrayed everything that we stand for, everything that the Empire stands for!" Spittle flew from his lips with his rage. "Your name will one day be a curse, Fen'Harel! You are the betrayer of the Empire and of your people!"

Fen'Harel gave him a pitying look. "Then I am a betrayer of an empire I can no longer believe in. From its very ashes, a new foundation will be created. Our former Empire will be rebuilt into something better and stronger!"

Falon'Din turned and spat his disgust upon the ground. "All you will have left of the Empire will be a handfuls of ashes, fool! There will be nothing left to rebuild, and no one to help rebuild it!"

"Freedom is worth the price of an empire."

Several of the elven mages stepped into the room and cast various attack spells and hurled them toward the barrier. The force and power behind the spells soon caused the barrier to darken as it was severally weakened. Both Norel'Ayn and Talen'ware were driven to their knees, sweat poured down their faces while they put all their mana reserves into their protective barrier. Falon'Din stepped forward to help them, a grim determination upon his face.

"No…my love, you must…not help us. We…are doomed. You, my love…you may still have a chance at escape!"

Before Falon'Din came any closer toward his wife, Norel'Ayn turned and thrust a palm his direction while she hurled a violent wind spell toward him. He was blown clear off his feet, and was hurled backward toward the waiting Eluvian. The last thing he saw before he was enveloped by the light of the Eluvian, was his wife's precious face and that last look to him that conveyed every ounce of love that she felt toward him.

He opened his mouth to scream, but his breath was torn from his lips as he entered the Eluvian.


	2. Chapter 1

_Author's Notes: Greetings to all! I hope that everyone is having a fantastic year so far! Time to shake off the cobwebs from winter, and plow into a new story. I love the Dragon Age universe, as it has a rich tapestry of lore and fascinating places and people! This takes place after the Trespasser DLC._

 _Disclaimer: Dragon Age is of course the property of Bioware and EA. I can't claim anything other than trying to bring a new idea to the forefront. If Bioware/EA likes, it, would love to see it incorporated into the next DA._

Dragon Age: Spectre of a Dead Empire.

By: Ghost43843

Chapter One. Skyhold. Inquisitor's quarters

Many Centuries later, after Solas' departure.

" _I love you, you know that, right?"_

Cullen woke unexpectedly from his dreams with a start. He vividly remembered those simple words spoken to him by his beloved Raven Lavellan almost three years ago. She was their Inquisitor, and a very powerful mage. His favorite title that she bore proudly for only a few weeks now, was that of his wife. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and craned his neck slightly as he gazed down at the wild mane of dark hair that was splayed thickly across his bare chest. Her right arm was wrapped tightly around his middle, both possessive and comforting to him at the same time. He felt the stump that was the remains of her left arm as it pressed lightly against his side.

Her time as their Inquisitor had taken a very heavy toll upon both her body and spirit. Over the last couple of years, she had waded through so many battles and received numerous injuries and wounds during the pursuit of stability for Thedas. Yet, she bore those scars upon her body without any kind of complaint. The former Templar wasn't as concerned with the scars that were carried upon her body though, he was much more concerned with the ones she now bore upon her very soul.

The Commander frowned lightly as he gazed at the remnants of her left arm. It was quite ragged looking, and still red and raw looking even after a week with the best healers here at Skyhold. It was, at least to him, a constant and permanent reminder of the betrayal of their Inquisition by Solas. After everything the Inquisition had fought, bled, and died for the last couple of years, the humble apostate turned out to be a viper in the very heart of their organization. His dark machinations that he revealed to Raven hurt her immensely. That wasn't including the physical damage from what the anchor did to her arm. He shuddered slightly. It hadn't just destroyed her arm; it had damaged her ability for independence.

The first day when they had carried her back, he had been terrified that she had died. Her wound was mostly cauterized, but she had still bled quite a bit. The worst part though, at least to him, was that it had done something else to her body. She could barely walk now without needing assistance. After only a few steps, if she didn't have her staff or be leaning on someone, she fell to the floor. She had such a bad case of the shakes, they weren't sure she would be able to walk on her own again. Raven did her best, but she rarely could go anywhere without some manner of assistance. She looked both pained and embarrassed when he picked her up last night from her latest fall. She was on her way back to bed after she had relieved herself.

These musings were put aside as he felt his beloved stir. Her head pulled up a little, her sky-blue eyes slowly blinked away sleep. Cullen still saw the tracks that ran down her face from her tears of frustration this morning. Raven rarely ever cried, but she had been so frustrated and embarrassed with her condition this morning that she had. He felt really bad at that point, especially when she kept insisting that he should have someone whom 'wasn't so damaged'. He lifted her chin up slightly, as he gazed lovingly into her eyes. "Good morning, love. Are you feeling hungry yet?"

Raven gave her beloved a small smile. "Yeah, I am getting a little hungry." She said quietly. She looked down and chewed her lip. "Could…could you help me to get dressed?"

Cullen wrapped his arms around her slender middle, and gently heaved her up toward him. He kissed her delicately upon her pink lips, a small smile upon his own. "Of course I will, love." He murmured gently as he touched his forehead to hers. "You know I will."

XXX

Cullen helped the Inquisitor dress, and they slowly made their way down the stairs from the Inquisitor's quarters. Not for the first time since he had seen the extent of the damage to the Inquisitor, had he thought about finding a way to relocate her lower down within Skyhold. These stairs were her biggest nemesis right now, and the thought of her getting hurt worse or even killed as she fell down the stairs was unsettling to say the least. He would talk to Casandra and Josephine later and see if would be possible to re-arrange her sleeping quarters.

"Good Morning, Commander, Inquisitor. It is good to see you both up this pleasant morning."

Cullen smirked a little at the greeting. Even after the past 3 and a half years working together, Cassandra was still so formal with everyone. He shook his head lightly. "Cassandra, you know that both Raven and I have told you that you can use our first names. Especially in informal situations like just getting to breakfast."

Cassandra flushed slightly and looked away. "I know. It is just sometimes simpler to fall back onto old habits."

Raven smiled brightly at her friend, her eyes a bit moist. "You have always been my guardian since I started with the Inquisition, Cassandra. You can call me whatever you want. I will always answer my friends."

Cassandra fidgeted a little as she still looked away. She hated getting emotional, but it was hard not. Especially since it dealt with Raven. She had become her best friend, one that never gave up on her. She had fought tirelessly by Cassandra's side, and even helped her start the newly reformed Seekers onto a better path toward redemption. She had great affection for the elf, and she was one of the few people she was willing to share that with. She finally turned and smiled at the Inquisitor. "I am gratified that I have been able to be so helpful, Inquisitor."

Raven chewed her lip. "Cassandra, you saved my life! You are more than just helpful, my friend. If you hadn't found me, I…"

Cassandra gently put a finger on Raven's lips. "I have promised to serve and stay at your side, Inquisitor." Another small smile touched the Seeker's lips. "It would have been bad form to lose our beloved Inquisitor on my watch."

"Don't forget, my dear, you still had some help with that!" A voice called jovially from behind Cassandra.

Cassandra crossed her arms. She turned slightly and rolled her eyes humorously. "Yes, Dorian! I am quite well aware of how you helped me return her back to Skyhold. As you have done numerous times over the last week!"

"Well shit, Seeker, don't forget about my assistance, too! I could always leave you out of the loop next time I get the next book in _Swords and Shields_ finished!"

Cassandra sighed heavily as she gazed down at the dwarf at the table. "Yes, Varric. I know that you helped. We are all thankful for your assistance!"

Bull belched loudly and dropped his empty tankard upon the table. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Hey! We all helped get her back! You didn't think we would have just left the boss back there, do ya?"

Cassandra grumbled lightly, but Raven grinned. "Glad to have you still around, Bull! We couldn't have done it without you."

"Damn straight!" The Qunari grinned. He belched again, and grabbed the tankard that Dorian had obviously forgotten about and left completely unattended.

The mage finally remembered about his drink, and turned to grab his beer. His hand grabbed at air and he realized that it was now gone. Much to his exasperation, he now saw Bull had it. "Now wait just a damn minute! That one was mine, you large oaf!"

"Ha!" Bull snorted loudly as he then downed about half the contents of the tankard in one go. "The key word 'was', magic man. You snooze, you lose!"

Dorian grumbled darkly. "Ungrateful savage!"

"Aww, cheer up! We can have another one for you without any trouble, right boss?"

Raven grinned at her large friend. "No worries, Bull. Just try to keep most of it down your hole, and not on the table or floor." She winked at him. "We have a delegation from Divine Victoria coming this afternoon. Don't want to give anyone any negative opinions about those that are soon to be her honor guard."

Cullen's smile slowly vanished. It was easy to get caught up in the old ways, that it was easy to forget that the Inquisition would now be folded into The Divine's personal guard. He still would have much to do, but he now worried for Raven. There was no way that she could truly lead them anymore, especially not with her inability to stand without assistance. She couldn't stay mounted everywhere, either. He glanced at his wife, and saw the same concerns and worries were reflected within her eyes. What use was a damaged Inquisitor whom couldn't fight their enemies, much less even walk unaided?

XXX

Skyhold Storeroom.

"Maker's Breath! Where do you think this came from? Do you think this has been here in storage a long time?"

"I have no idea; do I look like a maid to you? It does have to be quite old though. Say, I think this is another one of them Eluvian things like the Inquisitor and that Morrigan used to go get her kid!"

The pair of Inquisition soldiers looked over the large and elaborate mirror they discovered deep within the bowels of Skyhold. The first soldier lightly rapped his knuckles upon the elaborate border of the mirror. "Seems solid enough. Think they can make one of them doorways pop out of it?"

The second soldier shrugged. "How the bloody hell would I know? Do I now look like some kind of mage to you?"

The first soldier shook his head. "Not hardly there, Hardy. You look like you had one too many beers in the tavern last night!"

The second soldier scoffed. "Oh, piss off, Laurel! Like you could talk! You were the one dancing with the bar maid on the table!"

Corporal Laurel blushed slightly. "What's it matter to you? She was a pretty enough dame, wasn't she?"

Sargent Hardy scoffed. "Like you would have known! You were so pissed to the gills last night! You could have danced with my own mum and you would have thought you struck it lucky!"

The corporal opened his mouth to respond, and without warning, the mirror vibrated and shook several times. The force rattled loudly within the confined space of the storage room. Both soldiers now glanced warily at the mirror, both had their hands upon the hilts of their swords. "Maybe, we should go get somebody…?"

Sargent Hardy dumbly nodded his head. "Yeah."

XXX

Common Court.

Cullen felt his worry diminish a bit. Since he and Raven sat at the table and finally ate breakfast, he felt much better. It was true that the eggs and the fried bread where a little soggy this morning, it was better than not eating anything. Raven hadn't eaten much over the last couple of days, so it was a relief to him to see her eating her eggs and the apples he got her with gusto. Perhaps it was possible for him to arrange a vacation for her to get away for a while, but he frowned at the thought. Where would they go? The lake he took her to where he gave her the token was too far, and she couldn't swim anymore. Her clan would treat her as an invalid, which would piss her off. It was going to be quite the challenge to do…

"I'm sorry, Commander Cullen? Do you have a minute? We really need to talk to you!"

The Commander and Raven glanced at each other. A pair of Inquisition soldiers had just run like bats out of hell right into the common area of the throne room. They wheezed loudly from their flight, and sounded just about out of breath. Varric's eyebrow rose, which didn't go unnoticed by the Inquisitor. "Well, Cullen. They asked for you, and I guess we don't have anywhere else we need to be."

Cullen sighed and dropped his fork back upon the table. He lightly massaged the bridge of his nose. "Alright. What is it?"

Corporal Laurel remembered to salute, which he did smartly. "Begging the Commander's pardon, but the Sargent and I found something deep within one of Skyhold's storage rooms!"

The Commander sighed loudly. "Corporal. Sargent. It is still rather early, I haven't finished my breakfast, and I am finding myself feeling rather grumpy. So please, get straight to the point!"

"We think we found one of them Eluvians, sir!"

XXX

Skyhold Storeroom.

Raven was rather apprehensive to say the least. To have found another Eluvian, here, in Skyhold, was very disconcerting. Why hadn't they found this room before now? They had been all over Skyhold when they first came here, and the Dwarven engineers had done structural inspections for repairs. How had there really been an intact Eluvian here without anyone ever knowing of its existence? Had Morrigan known about it but somehow just forgotten to tell her? Questions kept swirling through her mind, but the biggest question she felt was why she felt drawn to it, like she had some kind of connection to it?

The Inquisitor briefly released her hold of Cullen's arm, and ran her fingers along the edges of the Eluvian. She felt something that slumbered stir from within the mirror. She felt a pull to touch the mirror itself like she hadn't felt before. Without her even realizing what she was doing, she leaned forward and touched her forehead to the glass. Raven's vallaslin glowed briefly, and then all hell broke loose within the storage room.

The dormant Eluvian now pulsed violently to life! Its sudden activation caused an explosion of magical power that sent the Inquisitor flying backward right into Cullen. Both the Commander and the Inquisitor stumbled backward and fell onto the floor. Both watched in awe as swirling magical energies waxed and waned from within the elven mirror. The energies emptied from the mirror, and coalesced into the form of a taller humanoid. Several of the Inquisition troops quickly moved forward toward the Eluvian and the figure, their weapons drawn and ready.

"Wait!" The Inquisitor croaked desperately. Cullen scrambled out from under her, and gently pulled her up and stood her next to him. Shakily, the Inquisitor leaned heavily upon her staff, the crystal at the head of her staff glowed brightly. Her spirit blade was attached to her belt, completely forgotten and unable to have made use of it. She squinted as the taller humanoid now stepped through the threshold of the Eluvian, and into the Skyhold storage room. For just an instant, the brightness of the Eluvian blurred out the details of the humanoid. Once the swirling magical energies withdrew back into the Eluvian, everyone stared at the figure with baited breath.

A taller, powerful looking elven mage now stood silently before them. It wasn't Solas, thankfully. Raven was utterly bewildered though by the new elf's appearance. He leaned upon a large, thick, heavy staff. It defied her logic, but his staff appeared to be constructed of a mix of silver, and perhaps even ironbark? He wore a heavy, glittering silver armor that bore numerous elven runes of power upon it. The biggest surprise to Raven had to be his face. He bore the same mark of Falon'Din upon it, just as she did. However, his wasn't drawn in the elven inks used for her vallaslin. His appeared to almost be made of…lyrium? His eyes were bright, and focused entirely upon her at the moment.

The elven mage finally blinked, and he gave a cursory glance around the room. His eyes returned back to the Inquisitor that stood before him. His eyebrow quirked with curiosity, but he lightly bowed toward the Inquisitor, his head dipped forward. "Andaran atish'an."

Raven was startled to hear the greeting in an old dialect. "Andaran atish'an, elder. Who are you, and where do you come from?"

The elven warrior mage cocked his head. "You speak mostly basic, my child? Has my people fallen so far from our roots?" He stepped forward, and his eyebrow rose when Cullen placed himself between him and Raven. "A quickling warrior protecting one of my people? Most interesting, indeed." He gestured dismissively. "I will bring neither of you any harm. Tell me though, am I really at…" He chewed his lip for a moment as he searched for the proper words in basic. "I believe the closest I could say is the Fortress of the Keeper of the sky?"

Raven smiled. "Yes, elder, you are indeed at Skyhold. It holds the headquarters of the Inquisition."

The older elf turned quickly and placed his palm upon the Eluvian. He grabbed his spirit blade with his other hand, and willed the Eluvian to activate. He had to get back and see if he could quickly grab his wife and apprentice and bring them back here. His eyebrows met as he concentrated harder. Raven and Cullen were amazed to find his whole being now glowed with the strength of both his power and will. He pushed harder and harder into the Eluvian as he willed it back to the entrance at Arlathan.

He gasped loudly in shock as the Eluvian cracked under the extreme stress he had placed upon it, and it shattered itself to pieces. The force from the destruction of the Eluvian blew him back away from it several feet. His long, silver hair trailed out behind him. "No!" He whispered in horror. The only way back to his home was destroyed! How could he save his beloved wife and his only apprentice now?

"NO!" He wailed loudly in anguish toward the ceiling. "Ir abelas, ma vhenan! I have failed you! I have failed you all!"

Raven and Cullen briefly glanced at each other as Cassandra led Bull and Varric into the storage room. Everyone watched as the new arrival fell onto his knees and broke down completely. His powerful sobs racked his body as his gauntleted hand went up and down as he pounded the floor several times. Much to Raven's surprise, when his hand pulled away the final time, there were several dents in the stone itself. She swallowed. Just what kind of powerful being was he?

After releasing one last big sob, the elven Arcane Warrior took a moment as he gathered himself and stood. He gazed for several moments at the destroyed Eluvian as he came to terms with his fate. He inhaled and exhaled several times before he finally turned around. He gazed pointedly toward Raven's prominent vallaslin and thumped his staff a couple of times. "So, you are one of my children that had decided to follow my teachings, then?" He asked thickly.

Raven gave him a puzzled for a brief moment before she shook her head. "Ir abelas, elder. What do you mean one of your followers? Who are you?"

The elven warrior gazed down upon her, an incredulous eyebrow raised. "My name is Falon'Din, dear child." A gauntleted hand rose as a finger pointed at her face. "You wear my mark proudly upon your face!" He gestured toward the walls around them. "As I can tell, Da'len, we appear to be within the very last stronghold within the Empire that I consider safe from Fen'Harel's influence and the savage tyranny of the Imperium."

XXX

Inquisitor's Quarters.

"Do you think it could really be true?"

Raven glanced up at Cullen. "What were you asking, ma vhenan?" She shook her head again. "I'm sorry. I am a bit distracted. What was your question again?"

Cullen placed his hands on the hilt of his sword. "I only asked if you thought what he said could really be true? Could this unknown elven mage warrior be the real Falon'Din from your gods of the elven legends?"

Raven chewed her lip in thought. "A year ago, I would have said it wasn't possible, ma vhenan." The Inquisitor said quietly. "After I met the real Fen'Harel and lost my arm for the trouble, I would say anything is truly possible anymore."

Cullen sighed and lightly ran his hand through his blonde hair. "I was afraid you were going to say that, my love. One of your elven gods of lore was almost enough to destroy the world. I don't know if we could possibly survive another one."

Cullen turned and was stunned as he found the elven warrior now stood within the doorway. "You have met Fen'Harel?" He asked them in angry whisper.

Raven jumped slightly as she spun in surprise. She cried out in shock and pain as she toppled hard onto the floor. Cullen immediately moved over to her and dropped to his knees, his hands on her arm. "Are you alright, ma vhenan?"

"Ir abelas, Da'len."

Raven inhaled sharply through her teeth at the fresh pain. "Yes, you could say we have met him." She showed the stump of her arm, and with her good arm she gestured to herself on the floor. "Knowing him has cost me a lot, elder! I am now a mere shell of what I was, thanks to his machinations."

Falon'Din gazed down at Raven with sorrow. "Ir abelas. It was not my intention to cause you pain, Da'len." He reached down and grasped her hand gently. He helped her to stand, though her knees buckled a bit already from the strain. "Ir abelas. That will not do. I can't fix your arm, since even I can't regrow lost limbs. However, it should be quite simple for me to be able to help you walk on your own again."

Careful to have her stay in place, Falon'Din gestured Cullen over. Cullen gratefully held her with his arm around Raven's waist. The ancient elf removed the gauntlet from his left hand, and placed his palm gently upon the top of her head. A powerful blue glow enveloped his hand, and Raven gasped lightly as the power entered her body. If felt cold to her at first, and then a pleasant warmth spread from her head down to her toes. _Rest now, Da'len. You have earned it._

XXX

Inquisitor's quarters.

"Can you really trust him, Curly? I mean, we trusted Solas and you saw what happened there!"

"This is the soundest she has slept now in several weeks, Varric! Honestly, I don't know if I really trust him yet or not! The fact that she now has rested better means I will give him the benefit of the doubt."

Raven gently moaned as she rolled over on her bed. Her eyes blinked open and shut several times. She smiled up at Cullen and Varric. "Hi." She said while she lightly stretched. She looked up at Cullen with surprise. "I…I don't feel the usual pain!"

Before Cullen or Varric could stop her, Raven practically jumped out of bed. Cullen gasped as Raven walked around the room completely unaided for the first time in two and a half weeks. Varric grinned. "Well, shit! I guess our new friend came through for her after all!"

"It was the least I could do for her. After all, one of my own had injured her quite badly."

Cullen and Varric whirled around and found the ancient elven mage now stood at the top of the steps. He gazed fondly at Raven, and gave her a small smile. "Feeling better I see, Da'len?"

Raven blushed lightly and nodded. "Ma serannas. You have my thanks, elder."

The ancient elf chuckled lightly. "You still don't believe I am Falon'Din, do you?"

Raven chewed her lip. "Falon'Din was our guardian of the dead. He helped us onto the next life when this one was over."

The ancient elf blinked and gently cocked his head. "I was never a 'guardian of the dead'. We don't die, Da'len, at least not naturally."

Raven gave him a sorrowful expression. "Elder, we do now. When Solas created the Veil within the Fade, it separated us and destroyed a lot of who we were."

Falon'Din's jaw dropped open. "He…put a Veil within the Fade? So that is why I lost my connection to our librarians!" He staggered back a step. "If he did that, everything that we were, our total connection to the very Fade…"

"It has dwindled down to a fraction of what it was." Raven gestured toward the stairs. "Several of my companions and I went into the Fade a couple of weeks ago, and witnessed what it did first hand."

Falon'Din looked positively sick. "What…what had you encountered?"

Raven's lip trembled slightly. "Everything that had been created in the Fade had been virtually destroyed. The ancient libraries, the outposts, even the crossroads have been virtually rendered now to dust."

"The Eluvians…" Falon'Din whispered, a haunted look upon his face. "The connections for the Eluvians traversed through the Fade! If he Veiled the Fade…"

Raven looked away. "Elder, even if the Veil hadn't destroyed the foundation of the Fade, it wouldn't have mattered. Many of the humans on Thedas do not like us, because we followed our Creators. As Dalish Elves, we continue our best to keep our legacies and traditions alive. However, much of our culture and who we really were has faded completely into legends and myths."

"So, it was as I had feared. Fen'Harel! You fool!" The elder elf growled darkly. "You destroyed us! You brought our Empire to utter ruin!"

"Elder. Falon…Falon'Din. There is more, and I must tell you."

The Arcane Warrior approached the Inquisitor, his head bowed in respect. "Please, whatever you can tell me."

The Inquisitor nodded to Cullen, whom sighed loudly. "Solas, or Fen'Harel, means to bring the old empire of the elves back."

Falon'Din snorted loudly and coughed. "Just how does he plan to do that? I don't know how much time has elapsed, or what became of my Empire, but if it truly had fallen, just how does he plan to bring it back?"

"Solas claimed that he was going to destroy this world, to help rebuild the next one."

The elder elf blinked. "We are not like the Gods of Old! We have great power, yes, but even we can't build a completely new world! Unless…" A horrified expression came to his face. "Did he find one of them? Did he somehow manage to enthrall one?"

Raven shivered, and it didn't have to do with feeling cold. "Elder? What are you talking about?"

Falon'Din wobbled slightly before he stumbled his way into one of the chairs up in Raven's quarters. He rubbed his face tiredly with his hand. "We whom made up the council were quite powerful, Da'len. However, we are not gods, no matter what we or the people thought." He swallowed, as he looked pale and drained. "We, that is the elders of our race, managed to displace the Old Gods. We believed that they were the ones whom created the world, but they weren't willing to share their secrets or power with us. They decided that we should be destroyed. So, our leaders, Mythal and Elgar'Nan, took the fight to them."

Raven heard the rapid scratching of a quill, and noticed that Varric rapidly jotted down notes even as Falon'Din imparted his story. She rolled her eyes. Honestly, she couldn't blame him, but she hated the thought of this ending up in another of his books. Possibly even a serial of some kind. She approached the old elf, and placed a hand on his arm. "Please, Elder, continue."

Falon'Din took his hand away and gave Raven a soft look, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "You remind me so much of my Norel'Ayn. She was a perfect storm of beauty, talent, and love. Had she not been born several generations after us, she would have been one of the council."

Raven gave Falon'Din a warm smile. "Tell us about her."

Falon'Din's lip trembled lightly. "It created quite the scandal on the council. Norel'Ayn wasn't born in Arlathan, she was born outside it in one of the outlying villages. Her parents weren't of noble blood. Her father was a great warrior named Naarman'Ayn, whom was a commander within the Falonshor. They who made up the Falonshor were warriors whom had sworn fealty to me. Her mother was one of the common slaves, whom hadn't inherited any magical abilities. She was lucky enough to have caught the eye of Naarman'Ayn. They bonded, and Norel'Ayn came to be."

Cullen chewed his lip. "Why did those whom had no magic kept as slaves?"

Falon'Din shrugged. "Elgar'Nan's idea, I believe. Wanted to keep the elven bloodlines as pure as possible. Those that were gifted with the greatest magic were apprenticed to one of the council members. Norel'Ayn was my first apprentice."

Raven smiled. "So, you trained her to follow in your footsteps, and fell in love with her?"

Falon'Din gave her a weak smile. "That is over-simplifying it immensely, but yes, that is basically how it went." His smile froze as his eyes went distant for a moment. "She didn't like me at the beginning, though. She thought I was an arrogant ass, and bigoted."


End file.
